


Hot Soup for the Soul

by CartoonEmpress66



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Feuds, Family Fluff, From Childhood to Adulthood, Gen, Hikari needs a hug, Lou has a lot of siblings, M/M, Middle Child, Saki does not like his reptilian nephews, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Teen Angst, a bit of violence, bonus chapters, but still a prick, dad is a tool, feel free to give ideas for next chapters, hamato clan is still around, he wants out, he's a Hamato, his life before he was Lou Jitsu, his mother is too pure for this world, kenji is best uncle, little sister venus au, lots of rottmnt ocs, lou thinks the clan legacy is bs, mei is a creepy ass aunt, ninja clan, nori needs some lady lovin, saki isn't Oroko Saki, splinter and saki are constantly at each other's throats, the turtles chill with their extended fam, the turtles have human cousins, they may or may not meet their grandparents, weirdest reunion ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2020-07-01 02:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19829389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonEmpress66/pseuds/CartoonEmpress66
Summary: A dive into the past, present, and possible future of former action film star, Lou Jitsu. His childhood. His Family he left behind. The strange, yet loving family he gained. Life as star. Life as the father of four turtles. His clan and the Legacy that comes with it. Depictions of his life back when he was Hamato Yoshi: The son of the Hamato Clan. And why he left it all behind. The turtles getting to know the family their father rarely talks about. Everyone needs a family, but sometimes, it's your family that hurts you the most.





	1. Soup of the day is Wine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction so PLEASE bare with me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenji bonds with his oldest nephew after a hectic reunion.

Kenji turned his attention briefly to his other siblings. Nori setting an unconscious, bloodied and bruised Saki against the wall, with his feet and legs bounded. Probably for the best, Saki being the unreasonable hot-tempered dickhead that he is. He was always thrashing first, explanations NEVER type of guy. Truthfully, he had that beating coming for years. No doubt, he was going to have an attitude about it later. But, they’ll cross THAT bridge when they get there. Neither he nor the others expected the fat rat man to pummel the daylights out of Saki. Nor did he expect said rat man to be his younger brother Yoshi, who he helped escape Japan and their overbearing father. As if Kenji wasn’t surprised enough to see walking, talking, man-sized turtles. But to see that Yosh-er, Lou Jit- no, SPLINTER was a large TALKING RAT, this was a whole new shock. After restraining Saki, Splinter (That will take some getting use to) was ambushed with questions and tears. Their siblings poking and prodding every inch of him as well as the turtle creatures. Speaking of which… “So, you’re my nephew, huh?” Kenji sighed, glancing up at the giant red turtle, (NOT a Kappa, like he thought). Raphael, he said his name was. ‘Nice name, fits him rather well.’ Raph nodded sheepishly, rubbing his head. “Not the family reunion you had in mind, eh?” Kenji couldn’t help but let out an amused chuckle, carefully patting the reptilian teen’s spiky shell. “Not the reunion I expected, but certainly not unwelcome. We are a family once more. Nothing can change that. Hard to believe it was because of some yokai scientist. This…Baron Draxum sounds like a REAL character.” Kenji thought Saki was awful at times. But this Draxum fellow is on a whole new level. At least Saki had SOME morals and honor. What Kenji wouldn’t give to get his hands on him. Kenji’s heart ached for what his little brother and nephews went through at the hands of that monster. He should’ve gone with Splinter. This could’ve been prevented. No. Let’s not think of this negatively right now. “I’m happy to have met you and your brothers, as well as my brother once again. I’ll talk to Nori, maybe we can stay for a little while and get to know each other a little better.” Raph jumped up with an excited squeal. (Yes, Raph would squeal. Shut up) He got up right in Kenji’s face, “REALLY!?!? AW MAN!!! This is going to be awesome!!! We’ll go on patrols, beat up bad guys, I’ll introduce you to our friend April! She’s a human too! Do you guys have pizza in Japan? Don’t worry, the four of us can show you, Auntie Nori, and the others the BEST pizza join-” Kenji had to put his hand over the excited youth’s mouth. Good lord, and he thought Yoshi, I mean Splinter could run his mouth. “I look forward to it. I can’t wait for us to bond better as a family. I wasn’t there for your father much when we were children. I plan to make up for it, if he’ll let me.” Raph grinned, throwing his arm around his uncle, nearly knocking over the poor man. “Don’t worry about that! Out of all of you, Pop’s spoke of you the most. Mostly good things. He owes you so much. WE owe so much! We wouldn’t be here, have you not helped him escape from Japan.” Kenji relaxed after hearing that, “Well, I owe him a lot too. He just doesn’t know that yet. So, anything bad Splinter told you about me?” Kenji questioned with a smile, staring at his oldest nephew. The red turtle teen scratched his head in thought, “There IS this one thing. Did you really crap your pants during a training session when you were 13?” Goddamn it, Yoshi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you like and what did you hate?


	2. Little Sick Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is just a joke/Bonus chapter. I think I’ll start doing that. It’s based off my Little Sister Venus AU starring Venus de Milo of course. Combined with Halloweennut’s Happy Family AU. It has nothing to do with the main storyline.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s Halloweennut’s link: https://halloweennut.tumblr.com/
> 
> (READ HER STUFF! It’s amazing)

Life was going it’s normal route. Well, as normal as it can be when you’re an Action Star with a yokai sheep husband as well as four sons, that just so happen to be mutant turtles. But, for Lou this was normal. And he loved it. Quite some time ago, the Jitsu family welcomed a baby girl into their lives: Venus De Milo; also a turtle like her older brothers. The Turtle brothers instantly adored and were devoted to their younger and only sister. Being teenagers now, they were able to watch after her and themselves whenever Lou and Draxum wanted some time together; much to their parents’ relief. 

When Venus was old enough to sit up and support the weight of her shell, it took A LOT of convincing for Lou to allow the boys to take their sister with them outside for a ride in the Turtle Tank. Thankfully, Draxum and Donnie had installed a protective baby seat for the little Indian Tent turtle. The Turtles loved taking Venus to their favorite hangout spots and the Hidden City. 

Granted, there were some run-ins with malicious mutants and the Foot Clan, but Venus was always safe. At least, that’s what it seemed….

Friday afternoon, the Jitsu Family were chilling in the family room. Lou and Draxum were watching a sitcom on the couch while the Turtle Brothers were playing Uno. Trying to play as quietly as possible, whilst their baby sister slept nearby. During their show, Draxum had his hearing trained onto the baby’s room; waiting to hear a whine, or a sob. But nothing. Venus was quiet ever since Lou put her down for her afternoon nap. Actually, Venus had been pretty somber and sluggish lately. She didn’t giggle whenever Mikey made funny faces at her or squeal with delight when Raph carried her on his head. Her favorite food was mushed up bananas and almond butter, but she refused to eat it.

As the show ended, Lou stood up, stretched, and glanced over to Venus’ bedroom. “Hmm, it’s been four hours now.” He realized. “Venus has never napped for this long without fussing.” The boys stopped their card game and considered their father’s words. “Hey yeah, Venus never liked napping for long.” Leo pointed out. Mikey jumped to his feet, “I’ll go check up on her, maybe she was really tired. She did seem a bit out of it, kind of weird. Even for a baby.” The former youngest turtle walked into their sister’s room. “Tired doing what?” Donnie questioned, “She can’t walk, clean, or give herself a bath? For God’s sake, Venus’ isn’t even toilet-trained yet.” Draxum couldn’t help but snort at that, “Donatello as I recall, you were too scared to use the toilet. Wasn’t it because Raphael said there was a monster in the ‘potty’.” The purple clad turtle spluttered, “Wha-…well…you see..I WAS LIKE THREE!!! I OBVIOUSLY KNOW BET-” “OH MY GOSH!!” A scream came from Venus’ room that had the family rushing in. 

Mikey was staring horrified into Venus’ crib as the rest of his family rushed in to see what brought that blood-chilling shriek he emitted. Lou ran to his youngest son’s side. “Mikey! What’s wrong? Why did you scream like that?” With a trembling hand, the orange clad turtle pointed into the crib. Lou stared at the crib, then at Mikey, then at the crib again, a look of dread overcoming his face. He walked slowly towards his daughter’s crib and looked down. “Nanite kotoda…”

Venus was pale, deathly pale, pale in a way a turtle should never be. She practically looked albino. Her eyes had a yellowish red color in them. Her breathing was hoarse, VERY hoarse, like she was a 50 year old who had been smoking for WAAAAY too long. Rivers of sweat were running down her body, it was like she had just been out of the bath. Dried up vomit caked around her mouth, down her chin and neck. And the way she was shaking, it was like Venus had eaten an electric toothbrush while it was still on. 

Draxum, having appeared next to Lou, while Leo, Donnie, and Raph were trying to console Mikey; the poor boy had started crying after seeing their sister in such a state. Draxum gaped at his daughter’s condition, “My God, Venus!!! What happened to her?!” 

*I’m going to make a part two for this later on. This is what I conjure up in the moment.*


	3. For Each Mouth, A Different Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Kenji and Raph bonding. But with flying fists this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check out my AUs if you want to suggest some prompts for me to do.  
> https://rottmntrulesall.tumblr.com/

It became routine when Kenji would drop by to visit his brother and nephews. He grew to cherish and love his reptilian nephews. Especially Raph, the boy had the makings to be a great leader and ninja. He wandered through the lair, and decided to meditate when he heard some footsteps and some chatting.

He glanced down one of the tunnels to see Raph. The red clad turtle who had just come back from parkour with his brothers. While Donnie, Leo, and Mikey went off to do their own thing, Raph was holding a pot of miso soup in his hand happily eating with a smile on his face in recent months his taste for miso had grown, yep just like his father's. "Nothing like a spot of hot miso soup after a good mission, hehe I can see why pops enjoyed It so much all those years back home.”  
As Raph made his way through the lair, while finishing off his soup, he noticed Kenji’s belongings in the corner, he stopped walking and tossed his empty pot of miso into the trash. "Aw nice! Uncle Kenji is here! It would be pretty sweet to see him again.” A fangy smile grew on Raph's face. Kenji and him immediately had a close bond when they met and enjoyed spending time with him when he can. Walking through the skating area, Raph took a look around as he entered and saw Kenji there out in the training area sitting with his back to him. A grin formed on the red snapper's face and he began to slowly creep behind him hoping to try and surprise him, unaware that Kenji knew he was with a smile on his face. He didn’t go through all that ninja training to NOT be capable of sensing an uncoming attack.

Kenji continued to meditate, appearing as though he had not noticed Raph coming up from behind him. Once Raph had gotten close enough, he opened his palm preparing to strike. But before he knew it, Kenji was already behind him grabbing his large arm and threw him down onto the ground, letting out a small chuckle. "Nice try Raphael, but not good enough yet.” Raph grumbled as Kenji held him there, but he wasn’t too angry about it. He let out a small laugh as his favorite uncle helped him back up. "Oh well, worth a try I guess. But one day, I will beat you, Uncle! You better believe that!” Kenji couldn’t help but laugh a little, not at Raph claiming he will take him down one day, but at how much he reminded him of Yoshi-er Splinter when they were children. So full of life, determination and passion, he missed those days. He was going to make up for all that time lost.

"I look forward to that day, you’re my nephew after all. Your father and I will surely make that happen. As a matter of fact, want to spar a little with me?". Temporarily stunned by the request, Raph grinned and nodded his head eagerly, despite him just eating a large pot of miso soup after his mission. But being a total boss, Raph still had the energy for sparring. "I thought as much Red One, alright I'll give you some sparring. I’d like to see how much you’ve grown these past months, watching that Hamato blood grow within you.” Taking a few steps back, Raph faced Kenji taking up a fighting stance very VERY similar to Splinter’s, took out his mystic tonfas. "Bring it on, Uncle Kenji! I'll show you how strong I'm getting.” Kenji took up his standard fighting stance. He didn’t have his Fu Tao (Twin Hook Swords) on him. There was no way the airport would’ve allowed him on the plane. He waited for the first move.  
Raph charged at him with an open palm trying to land a strike on him, Kenji easy dodged it by sliding to the left and made an attempt to strike on Raph which he did, Raph grumbled as he got hit but that did not stop him from turning back around fast to try and land a blow on Kenji, which he almost did but Kenji hit his large arm away and managed to land a few more palm strikes on Raph. The red clad turtle tried using a few leg strikes and started to match Kenji's palm attacks blow for blow. Kenji beamed, proud of his nephew. He could tell he was getting there in terms with his ninja abilities despite not having the intense training Kenji, Yoshi, and their siblings had. "BRACE YOURSELF, RAPHAEL!” Kenji shouted as he sprinted towards the teen, catching Raph off guard as his uncle rammed his foot into his chest; flying back and hitting his weight set with a loud crash. "Uggh...that’s going to leave a bruise.”

Kenji stretched his legs, taking a look at Raph where he landed. The oldest turtle brother slowly stood up, shaking his head he got back into his fighting stance with a fanged grin on his face. His tonfas began to glow. Kenji smiled once again and stood back in his fighting stance as Raph came at him once more. "POWER PUNCH JITSU!” Raph shouted hoping to land it on Kenji, which it almost did, but Kenji once more proved to be too quick and dodged it. Kenji brought up his elbow and landed it on Raph’s shoulder. making him groan and fall back a little. Both spared for a little while longer until both started to pant and end their practice battle. "Haha alright Raph, that will do for now. You have done quite well. I'm impressed.” Cracking his neck and arms, he walked over to Raph who was panting and de-activated his mystic weapons. Raph let out several breathless laughs. He plopped himself on the ground, behind Splinter’s chair. Leaning back against the chair, Kenji sat beside him, resting his hand on the large turtle teen’s shoulder.

"You have to teach me that knee strike, Uncle Kenji. That was a boss move!!” "I will teach that soon, it's actually a great defensive move if used right, I know you will be able to master It no problem". Kenji understood Raph’s reasons for wanting to learn more than he knew. Raph wanted to show he has that capable of a ninja. He had Hamato blood flowing through his body after all and Yoshi-uh Splinter, the boys were like their father in unique ways. Ways that made Kenji almost yearn for the good old days. He was the first to welcome the turtles into the family. Kenji always welcomed Raph and his younger brothers.

Their family was reunited with four extravagant additions. Kenji didn’t want anything to sabotage that nor will it. Never again. He had a great family and he would be damned if he had it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to critique, but any negative comments WILL BE DELETED.


	4. Slotted spoons don't hold much soup...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was a request fic made for me by a good friend of mine. On this site, she's known as JustAndrea. She gave me permission to post it and I promised to credit her. Thanks so much for this!
> 
> Mikey never expected there to be more family out there for him and his brothers. They have a close relationship with their aunts and uncles. But, a family isn't complete without grandparents. A presumably long lost loved one makes a surprising visit.

It was kind of amazing how quickly things could change - both for the good and for the bad. Sure, they now knew that some sheep-creep warrior scientist had intended for them to be human-destroying soldiers and that an ancient demon had a very good chance of destroying the entire WORLD if they didn’t stop it… But Mikey prefered to look at the positives.

A year ago, they just had a normal rat dad. Six months ago, they learned that their rat dad was actually a former action-movie star - not just ANY action-movie star, but the one they had grown up idolizing and learning from! And a month ago, they learned that they weren’t alone - they still had family! Several new aunts and uncles to learn from and enjoy and hang out with!

They already had a big family, but having an even BIGGER one just brought Mikey and his brothers so much joy! Sure, it wasn’t perfect - Saki was kind of a jerk and usually fought with their pop, and Uncle Hikari was still nervous around them occasionally - but it was still great!

...And yet, Mikey couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.

He knew Splinter had parents, and that their gramps wasn’t the nicest guy to him when he was younger. (He had given Uncle Kenji the tightest hug he could when he had first heard the tale of how he had given their father his freedom.) But their grandmother… she was a complete mystery.

Their Auntie Mei didn’t remember her at all, and didn’t care to. Saki dismissed her entirely. Their dad would always get a sort of sad look in his eyes whenever she was brought up… From his other relatives, Mikey didn’t get too many more answers. All he knew was that she ran away at some point, but when she had been around… she seemed nice. Loving and caring, gentle and supportive.

No offense to their dad, but… if they’d had a mom too, Grandma Aimi sounded exactly like what Mikey had imagined having a mom would be like.

The box turtle sighed, turning over in his hammock for what felt like the millionth time that night as the rest of his family slept. ...No, not ALL of his family… With all the reuniting happening, it didn’t seem right that one family member should miss out. Sure, their gramps was a total lost cause, but maybe their grandma wasn’t.

Putting his ninja training to the test, Mikey moved across the lair swiftly and silently - past his brothers’ and father’s rooms, past the temporary guest rooms they had set up in the arcade and tv room - as he made his way into Donnie’s lab. Shutting the curtains so that no one could see the harsh light pouring out of the room, he quickly made his way to his purple brother’s computer. Normally he would have asked, but this was an emergency - and if everything worked out well, then it would be the PERFECT surprise!

He also brought SHELLDON out of sleep mode. Thankfully the drone was past 60% battery life, so he was awake as he could be! “What’s up, Michelange-bro?” he greeted cheerfully before Mikey shushed him.

“Turn your volume down, SHELLDON!” he hissed.

There was a small beep, and SHELLDON spoke again. “This good, bro?” he asked, his volume halved.

“Yep, that’s great,” Mikey smiled, “Anyway, I’m gonna need your help findin’ someone for me.” As someone who was constantly looking for new recipes and new art mediums and styles to try, Mikey knew how to do effective research. But this was completely different from trying to find the perfect calzone recipe or figure out the difference between baroque and romantic styles of art. 

“We’re lookin’ for someone named Hamato Aimi. I don’t think she would use social media, so we’ve gotta dig deep - and I’m gonna need you to use that high-tech drone brain of yours to smash down some firewalls!”

The drone, deflated a bit, threatening to reconnect to his plug-in and go back to sleep mode. “Ugh, seriously bruh? Research? Laaaaaame, I thought we were gonna do some late night gaming or drone racing or something!” SHELLDON complained.

“Weeeeell, what if I throw in a sweet new paint job once we find her?” Mikey coolly countered, “I have been workin’ on my blue flames and shooting stars.”

SHELLDON chirped and beeped excitedly at that. “You got yourself a deal!” he said, bring out a metal arm and holding up a fist. Mikey happily fistbumped him before putting his hands back on the keyboard.

“Alright, baby… Let’s get to work!”

It had taken nearly a week of all nighters - Mikey had just barely avoid his family’s suspicions by clearing his internet history each night and making sure to act normal and not totally exhausted during the day, sneaking in cat naps whenever everyone else was busy - but they had finally found her. And, once he was adorning brand new flames on the back of his shell and had a full battery, SHELLDON flew East, following the direction coordinates downloaded into him.

Mikey sighed that night as he crawled into his hammock for what felt like the first time in forever, too tired to do anything but sleep and hope…

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Aimi gripped the string of her purse tightly. She wasn’t in danger - you don’t become part of the Hamato Clan without learning how to defend yourself, and she never went anywhere without at least a couple knives - and she wasn’t turned off by the smell of the sewers either, even if it was pretty bad… No, she wasn’t in danger, but she was certainly afraid…

Two weeks ago… She had been hiding from her past - her family - for over thirty years now, and two weeks ago it had all caught up to her in the form of a purple, turtle-like drone with a very American accent. It had talked to her, told her she was wanted in New York City.

“...By who?” she had asked tentatively.

“By your grandson!” it answered cheerfully, as if that one word didn’t strike her to her core, “And uhh, I’m sure the other people there want you there too. Mikey certainly seems to think so.”

Mikey… That was the name of her grandchild. Well, one of them anyway. Knowing Yasha, he would have insisted that all of his children continue the Hamato name, and that all of them have spouses and families of their own. 

As the drone printed out coordinates and directions on how to find her family, Aimi’s mind had been rushing with questions interwoven with the eternal guilt she had felt since the night she left. Someone in her family had found her… and they didn’t hate her, instead only wanting her to visit. Did the others feel the same? What had become of her children? Were they okay? 

One question rose above all else: After the hurt she had caused her children… Did she deserve to be part of their lives once again? The drone didn’t provide her with any answers, only flying back to wherever it came from once its task was complete, leaving her all alone.

It took over a week of dwelling on it, arguing with herself over and over… And as she did so, one single statement kept itself at the front of her mind:

You already lost one child forever, one that you will never see again… Yoshi. Her little Yo-Yo. He had somehow found a way to escape the shadow of his clan. Became an action-movie star of all things. She had never been able to watch more than one of his films - her heart ached too much at the sight of him, knowing that he had grown up and she had missed it completely - but she cared enough to keep up on any news regarding him.

...The day Yoshi was reported missing, her heart broke. When reports from American police came in saying that they had stopped the search - for Lou Jitsu or for a body - her heart completely shattered. Some speculated kidnapping and murder, or perhaps even suicide. Others were hopeful, saying that perhaps he became tired of the life of a superstar and hid on some island or in some bunker with the British woman he had dated for some time, no matter how unlikely this might have seemed to most people.

Honestly, Aimi hadn’t cared about the details. All she knew was that her Yo-Yo was gone… And for all she knew, he had left this world thinking that his mother hated him enough to abandon him and his siblings. “Do your other children really deserve that same fate?” she asked herself.

And her grandchildren… All they wanted was to know her. She owed them that much. And if they hated her once they got to know her, then so be it. So, she purchased plane tickets to New York, took a cab to the coordinates that the drone had given her… and then used one of her knives to open up a manhole cover. 

The idea of one of her children being so poor and desolate that they had been forced to live in the sewers nearly shattered her all over again, but she hadn’t come this far to back out now. So she pressed on, gripping her purse tightly as the heels of her shoes echoing throughout the seemingly-endless metal tunnel.

Eventually, she came across an atrium. Just by looking at it, she could tell that children lived there. It was adorned with art and fairy lights. A skateboard ramp took up one side while a basketball hoop hung over another. There were several rooms - but she only heard noises coming from one. Taking another deep breath, she headed towards what seemed like a garage…

“Whoop-pa!” Mikey grinned fearlessly as he whipped his kusari fundo at his twin aunt and uncle, who didn’t waste time in launching an offensive-defensive counter strike as they dodged it. Hiroki grabbed the string and attempted to pull Mikey forward while Hikari got ready to throw a punch.

Instantly, Mikey pulled his head and arms into his shell, using only his legs to somersault away. Once at a safe enough distance, he popped back up and got ready to block. The punches kept coming, and Mikey took each one, occasional stepping back.

“If you want to win, you need to do more than block!” Saki barked from the sidelines, “Use your brain, reptile! The enemy will not go this easy on you!”

“Come on, Mike!” Leo shouted, standing up from his seat (and completely blocking Saki’s view, much to the man’s annoyance and Splinter’s amusement), “You got this, dude!”

While Mikey definitely appreciated the encouragement, he didn’t need it. Sure, his brother in blue was a pro in thinking up strategies, but he certainly wasn’t the only one in the fam who could think on their feet! It was like Raph had said all those months ago: Nobody flipped like Mikey!

He purposely lowered his arms, making it look like he was leaving himself open. In order for their training to be effective, Hikori and Hikari took the shot… And Mikey’s attack went into motion. 

Changing his stance just fast enough for it to be successful, he grabbed their incoming fists and yanked his relatives forward, using their shoulders as a balance as he leapt forward. Now standing on his hands, he did a spin kick and struck them both right in the back. It wasn’t a super hard hit, but it was enough to make them stumble - which in turn gave Mikey enough time to roll forward, right-side up and back onto his feet. 

Crouching down now, he grabbed the handle of his abandoned weapon, and whipped it towards his still-disoriented relatives once again. The spiky ball cackled as it wrapped around them, totally entrapping them in its unbreakable, mystic string. With one last yank, they harshly fell to the floor and the spar was officially over. “YEAH!” Mikey fistpumped as his brothers cheered.

“Excellent job, Orange!” Splinter grinned, his siblings beside him also clapping. Well, except for Saki, though even he could (silently) admit, it was impressive. 

“You certainly know how to surprise your opponent,” Hiroki said, smiling at her nephew, “Nice work, Michelangelo.”

“Yes, a good fight. But, ah, could you untie us now?” Hikari added, smiling a bit sheepishly.

“Got it!” Mikey nodded, helping them up. As he unwrapped his relatives and his brothers lightly argued about who would get to spar next, Mikey saw something out of the corner of his eye. A lone figure, standing in the entrance of their garage/makeshift dojo.

She was beautiful… Her dark grey hair was tied into a long braid. On her neck was a brooch that resembled the yin-yang symbol. She wore pink pearl earrings, and her dress was a dark purple with a pink sash around her waist. A plain violet purse hung off one of her shoulders, and on her feet were old wooden sandals. The wrinkles around her eyes crinkled a bit as she brought a hand to her mouth, absolutely speechless.

“...Michelangelo?” Hiroki asked, finally noticing her nephew’s distant eyes, “What are you-?” She and her brother both looked towards the direction he was, and their eyes widened. It only took seconds for the rest of their family to notice as well. All of them were on their feet in an instant. ...Well, all except Splinter. His siblings may have looked shocked, but he looked absolutely terrified.

Mikey was the first one who dared to speak. “...Are you, Hamato Aimi?”

Aimi swallowed. She couldn’t believe she was speaking to a turtle, and that this turtle apparently knew her and her family. “I… I am, yes,” she answered quietly.

“Wait…” Donnie said, recognizing that name immediately, “Does that mean… she’s our-?”

“Okaa-san,” Nori said, blinking back tears. Her younger siblings looked at her, then back at the woman. Saki continued to scowl, but even at a distance, Aimi could see the slight hurt in his eyes.

“My family,” Aimi replied, giving them all a bittersweet smile as she looked at each of them one by one. Her babies were all grown up. Saki, Nori, Kenji, Hiroki, Hikari, Mei. The only one who was missing was-

She stopped, finally noticing the giant rat man, and how afraid and nervous he looked. His tail twitched, and it looked like he was only barely forcing himself not to run away. His eyes were locked firmly on the floor, but as she took a step forward, their eyes met for just a moment.

“...I know you,” she said, her own eyes widening.

Splinter clenched his fists, looking away again as his fear was replaced with shame. It had been hard enough revealing to his siblings that he had been turned into a giant rat - convincing them that yes, it really was him and he wasn’t some monster or freaky beast. But this was his mother, and what mother wanted a giant rat for a son. “I-I… I should-”

“Yo-yo.”

Splinter froze. Slowly, he looked up again, ignoring the tears in his eyes.

Aimi was already crying, but her smile didn’t falter. “My little Yoshi…” He was here, he was alive. It didn’t matter if he was covered in fur and had a tail. It was her little boy. She knew he was.

“...Kaa-san,” Splinter said finally. Aimi choked back a sob, nodding - and that was all he needed. He walked towards her, nearly running, and she crouched down, embracing him without any fear or disgust.

One by one, her other children came forward. They were clearly confused, and maybe still a bit hurt, but mostly they were just shocked. Their mother, the woman they had only heard about in stories and had only seen in old, dusty photos was right there in the sewers!

“How did you even get here?” Mei asked, blunt though not resentful as her natural curiosity overshadowed whatever negative feelings she might have had towards her mother.

Before Aimi could answer, Mikey - after quickly wiping away his own happy tears - raised a hand. “Yeahhh, I kinda helped with that,” he admitted.

His brothers blinked at him. “Wait, what?” “Dude, how did you-?” “Wait, is that why SHELLDON was gone for two days?” “Yeahhh, sorry about that, Dee.”

Aimi, despite everything, chuckled at the boys. It didn’t matter if they looked like kappa, she could see in their eyes and their smiles who they belonged to.

Splinter smiled as well. Letting his mother go, he instead took one of her hands as he gestured towards his sons. “So, ah, Kaa-san… I-I know they probably are not what they were expecting but… But these are my boys- my sons, a-and…” he smiled warmly at the four of them, and felt an extra bit of pride towards his youngest, “I hope you love them as much as I do. Kaa-san… Meet Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.”

Still a bit surprised, Raph awkwardly bowed, giving the woman a sheepish smile. His teeth certainly were sharp, sharp as the spikes on his shell, but Aimi could already see gentleness within him. Donnie stared at her, looking her up and down as the idea of this being his grandmother continued to sink in. An inquisitive one, then. She would have to prepare for the many questions he would no doubt have. Leo, who had begun to smile, gave her a calm yet friendly wave. In a way, he reminded her of Yoshi the most. And finally…

Mikey practically beamed at her, his eyes shining as he grinned at her - at his dad and how happy he was, and at the rest of his human side of his family. There would no doubt that there would be a lot of talking the next few days. Explanations that would need to be given, feelings that would need to be addressed and fixed, and many stories and moments that would need to be shared, but as far as Mikey was concerned all of that could wait. In this moment, his family was whole again, and that was all he needed. ...Well, that and one other thing.

“So, can we call you Grandma then?” Mikey asked, “Or Granny?”

“Orange,” Splinter said, lightly scolding him.

But Aimi just giggled, wiping away another tear. “I would be honored to be Granny.”

Mikey cheered at that, launching himself forward and hugging her tightly. Taking a moment to kiss his green head, Aimi returned the hug. 

“Welcome to the fam, Granny.” “Thank you, Angelo-Kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to check out her awesome fics, here's her Tumblr: https://fanfic-inator795.tumblr.com/
> 
> Mikey and his Obaasan: https://rottmntrulesall.tumblr.com/post/613602595880255488/kisses-from-grandma


	5. Only The Pure In Heart, Can Make a Good Soup Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Splinter and Saki FINALLY talk to each other after years of bitterness and resentment. Saki has a shocking reaction....

Splinter sighed a little to himself as he watched his game shows. Between all that had been happening the past few months, this felt like the first time in forever he'd actually been able to relax and have some alone time. ...Unfortunately, his mind was far away, and not even the hilarious sight of people slipping over treadmills could grab his attention. He glanced back towards the atrium - over where the rest of his family was, his eyes furrowed. Ever since their surprise visit, he had managed to catch up and spend some quality time with all of his siblings... all except one.

With a bit a grumble, Splinter turned off the tv. He knew trying to relax was a lost cause, so he got up and left the tv room. As he entered the main atrium, his rat ears twitched slightly as he listened for the voices of his family. Most of them were either in the arcade or in the dojo/garage, the only exception being Purple, judging by the light machinery sounds and faint dubstep coming from his son's lab. Splinter hummed a little to himself. Maybe spending some time with other members of his family would get his mind off Saki. He could only hope...

"Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze Maha Bekanze Radza Samudgate Soha..." Saki chanted over and over as he meditated on the skate ramp. With his family occupying the garage/dojo and finding the arcade too noisy, this was the best option. Once again, he had to tag along to visit his mutant brother and his four...reptilian offspring. Splinter scowled slightly, just briefly looking over at his brother before otherwise ignoring him...at least, that's what he WANTED to do. But again, that little part of his mind continued to poke and prod at him until eventually, he HAD to say something. "You know, Saki," he said as he glanced up at the top of the ramp, "Typically the polite thing to do during visits is to actually interact with your family." Not that he'd care. What did a man like Saki know about family anyway? 

If it wasn't for the fact that the Dark Armor resided in New York, he wouldn't have bothered the trip here. He constantly tried to wrap his head around the predicament his family was tossed into. How it all lead up to this. Yoshi's ridiculous wishes to 'make it BIG in America' and leave their family clan behind. His running away, becoming a 'star' in the eyes of these Americans. Somehow coming across a yokai (he never would've thought they actually existed) and being morphed into a filthy rat creature with four cold-blooded turtles as his 'sons'.  
It was almost laughable if the living proof wasn't there. When Saki didn't answer, Splinter's scowl deepened. Rude... "How long have you been up there anyway?" Dwelling on it over and over caused him nothing but headaches and frustrations. Had Yoshi had just stayed in Japan, stayed in the CLAN, this stupidity wouldn't have occurred.

Just further proof that he was right to do what he did. 

Splinter's tail was starting to lightly thrash now in growing anger. Pompous jerk, ignoring him like that. Grumbling under his breath, Splinter climbed up the ramp and stood right next to him. "Saki, I am talking to you." Taking a deep inhale, Saki continued to mumble the chant. Trying to pretend that his brother fell down a sewer pipe and wasn't contaminating his breathing air with his rodent funk. "Ughhhh." Why did his oldest brother have to be this way? "I am TRYING to be the mature one here, Saki. The least you can do is actually answer me!" Deciding to be a bit daring, he added with a mumble, "But I guess it's just like you, isn't it? To ignore problems until someone decides to actually do something about it."

That's it. Saki spun around so fast, Splinter feared (for a split second) that Saki was going to break his neck.

"THAT'S RICH COMING FROM YOU! Better to ignore my problems than run away from them like you're accustomed doing!" The First-born Hamato snarled. Splinter briefly flashed back to when they were children - when he was just the little brother. But Splinter reminded himself - they were both adults now, and he had faced much bigger threats since childhood. "I ran away because it was the only thing I could do!" Splinter argued, "Or would you rather I wither and die under our father's control for the sake of 'honor'?"

"Maybe if you weren't so damn stubborn and selfish, you'd see that everything you needed was back at home and not in this HILL-BILLY HELL! Chasing after fame and glory...look at where it's got you! Now you have neither! Father was looking out for you! Just as I was! But you're so ungrateful and childish you couldn't see that. You wanted the freedom, but you clearly weren't prepared for the price that freedom would cost you!"

Splinter had to laugh a little at that first bit. "Oh yeahhhh, having my own home that's actually filled with love and not fear or pain is absolutely hell!" He then gave Saki a stern glare. "You and Father were the ones being selfish, caring more about some destiny than your own LIVING FAMILY! You did not care if we were suffering, you both just cared about hollow honor and tradition!" He briefly glanced down at his rat hands, wincing slightly before steeling his gaze. "I will admit, I have made some mistakes, and it has not always been easy dealing with those consequences... But I have NO regrets, and do you know why?"

Saki gritted his teeth, not wanting to hear Spli-Yoshi's senseless reasonings....but a part of him couldn't help but be curious. "...WHY" It wasn't a question, it sounded more like a command.

Splinter looked at his brother, and spoke not with anger but from his heart, a small part of him still pleading for his eldest brother to actually listen to him for once.

"Because my path... my choices and my consequences: They all led me to my sons. I know you will probably never seen them as any more than turtles, but to me..." He allowed himself to blink a couple times as his eyes got a bit wet. "To me, they will always be my sons - the children who saved me, and gave me a purpose again." He had been so lost after Big Mama and the Nexus, but now... "As long as I have them in my life, I am happy - and I would not trade them for anything. Not for honor, or fame or wealth or even a chance to be human again. Nothing. Do you understand that?"

Saki...didn't have anything to say to that. He was still mad but felt his anger slip away slightly. Those...TURTLES seriously meant that much to Yoshi? How? They weren't even his kids, not in a way that's real or natural. But...he couldn't ignore the joy he saw on his brother's face when he interacted with his 'sons'. He looked so free, so relaxed, so loving and fatherly. Something Saki wished their father showed them growing up. Not just strict and demanding.

But that wasn't their way, that wasn't the Hamato way. Such soft emotions were a distraction....a weakness. 'Be as hard and as cold as stone' was what he was told and had installed in him since birth. 'Sacrififce EVERYTHING you are and have to the clan. And your enemies will fall before you.'

Splinter kept his gaze on Saki, noticing how thoughtful he seemed now. "...The boys still consider you their uncle, you know. Well, Mikey does, at least. And, uhh..." He glanced away, looking a little sheepish now. "I don't- ugh. You... You infuriate me sometimes Saki. Most of the time actually, but... I don't... completely hate you. I just hate the way you act." "You're rather frustrating to put up with yourse-" Saki was taken aback by that last statement. "...you don't hate me?" “No...” Splinter sat down, his age showing in his tired eyes, “I hated the things you did, and the way you treated us but... I could never completely hate you.” Saki just sat and stared at Splinter, bewildered. His usual bitch face dropped. All the problems they had, all the fights, all the terrible things they screamed at each other....yet his brother didn't hold as much resentment as he would've expected.

Morbidly curious, Saki had to ask, "Was I...was I really that awful to you all? To you?" He still didn't see, or didn't want to see what he did was wrong but...he had to know.

"..." Splinter had to think, and be careful with his words. He didn't want to start up another screaming match, but he didn't want to sugar coat things either.

"You were... stern, and overbearing. Like you expected us to be perfect, and anything less was a disgrace. Like... Like Father." Pausing, he thought back to something Nori had told him long ago, of moments that were so fuzzy that they might as well have been dreams. "Nori told me you weren't always like that... That before you started your training, you were actually playful and... nice. I just- why were Father's teachings so important to you? Why did we all have to be heartless soldiers and give up who we were in order to be worth anything?" Saki remembered asking himself that same question back when he was a boy.

He thought back to when his training began. Father showed all of the historical events that their family lineage had taken part in. What each individual was a master in, the enemies they took down, the force and might they radiated. The Hamatos left such an impact in Japan, a legacy that had to not only be remembered for each new generation but continued...

They showed no weakness, no mercy, no fear. They showed they were forces to be reckoned with, something that couldn't be knocked down. Saki didn't get it at first, even when he was put through the intense training on his FIRST week. He didn't really see the point as a kid. But seeing their history, what their ancestors were capable of, the great things they were able to achieve that an average person could only dream of. The monstrous Shredder that was bested by their most sacred and respected ancestor. Saki saw it as his duty live up to the ways of their bloodline, as their father and his father, and his father before him. 

"...Saki?" Splinter asked after several moments of silence, getting a bit concerned now.

He was so enraptured and focused on the family name and heritage, anything else seemed so meaningless. Saki unknowingly stopped being a brother....A big brother that was supposed to guide, protect, and...love his younger siblings. He couldn't remember the last time he actually had fun with his brothers and sisters, he just started barking at them on what to do and what not to do. That what they did wasn't good enough and wasn't representing the Hamato Clan.

Kenji and Nori weren't able to handle his presence as much as they used to. Yoshi did everything he could to avoid him. The twins were scared and wary of him all the time. Mei was silent but distanced herself as she grew.

"My God....Yo..Yoshi...I-I was...I th-thought...' Saki stammered, he was shaking and didn't even realize it. "..." He put a hand on his brother's arm. "...I can't imagine it was always easy, being the oldest and the official heir to the clan... I know that must have put a lot of pressure on you, but you put that pressure on us. On me... I may not have hated you but, I was certain you hated me. Especially after... that night." The night Saki told Father of his plans. The last time in his childhood that he ever saw Saki...

"I didn't mean...you were...you are..." He placed his head in his hands, praying that he would just disappear, "I was...I thought I was doing what was right. I just wanted you to respect and represent our family line. I assumed you were just lashing out for spite. I didn't think....I wasn't thinking about how this would affect you. I didn't think about your feelings, what you were going through." He still remembered Yoshi's face when Father confronted him. When Father struck him across the face so hard, his mouth was bleeding, yelling at how he was sick of his 'atrocious behavior.' And that he was going to follow the ways of the clan...whether he wanted to or not. As their father dragged Yoshi to his room, Yoshi looked back at Saki.

Who was standing in the main room watching with a cold expression. The emotions that flickered across his little brother's bloody tear-streaked face: shock, betrayal, hurt, confusion. 'You deserve this...' Saki had said and turned around, ignoring the cries and pleas Yoshi sobbed at their father. Nausea filled him as the memories came back full force.

Splinter shut his eyes, remembering that night just as well as Saki was. "I thought you hated me," he repeated, much quieter now, "I... I still respected and loved my family, but... I knew I couldn't be what he wanted me to be. I could not just turn my emotions off like you could. If I did that... I might have broken completely." He knew from experience how dangerous it could be to ignore the pain of others... his years in the Nexus fighting warriors that may or may not have even wanted to be there had certainly taught him that. "I- I didn't want to hurt our family, or dishonor them. I did not want to hurt anyone! I just wanted to be happy..." 

"I disregarded your pain, I didn't give you the comfort you needed. Ha...no wonder you left..." Saki placed his hand up to his mouth as the nausea got stronger, "Yosh- Splinter...I'm... I am so..so..soURGH!" Spinning around as to not get sick all over Splinter, Saki rushed to the closest safe area and expelled his breakfast from his stomach.

Splinter was shocked at that. "Saki!" He rushed over to him, placing a gentle hand on his back. He almost couldn't believe it. Saki was more often than not cold and emotionless, so seeing any emotion from his oldest brother that wasn't just anger and rage was practically unheard of - at least, it was from Splinter perspective. "...You, ah... y-you okay?" he asked when it seemed like Saki was done.

Coughing and choking on the bile, Saki shook his head. Wiping his mouth as tears...ACTUAL TEARS streamed down his face.

"No...no I'm not okay! I was never okay! WE WERE NEVER OKAY!!" He hysterically pushed Splinter's hand off of him as he stood, "I can't...I can't be here right now! I can't take this, I shouldn't be here, I have no right to be here..." he sobbed out as he began to back away from his little brother, the brother who he wronged so many times. The one who he caused so much suffering. 

"Wh-" As distant as they might have been, Splinter's heart still ached when he saw the tears on his brother's face. Saki was actually crying? He... regretted? "Saki, wait!" Splinter stepped towards him, his hands out.

"No! PLEASE...just....I...stay away...I must leave!" Saki sprinted away from Splinter's stretched hands, down the entrance pipe, through the sewers, where he was going...he had no idea. Anywhere was better than there at the moment, as he tried to ignore Splinter calling out his name.

Splinter scowled. Maybe it was a bit hypocritical... but he wasn't going to let Saki run away from this. So, he chased after his older brother, easily able to track him thanks to his rat sense of smell and hearing.

Coming out from the garage/dojo, Kenji stared, open mouthed as his rodent brother took off after Saki. He was sparring with Raph when he heard yelling from the other room. ‘Oh joy...ANOTHER FIGHT for me to break up...’ he thought. Every time they came to visit, Saki always had to start something with Yos-Splinter. "What the heck...?" When they first heard the yelling, they had just assumed the two were arguing again. But after they went quiet for a bit, Raph and his uncle had decided to check it out. But this... didn't look like an ordinary argument.

"What happened?" Leo asked as he and Mikey poking their heads out of the arcade. “Wait here, boys. I need to go to sort out your uncle and your father.“ Imagine his surprise when he saw Saki throw up, cry and flee from the lair. That was so out of character for his older brother. What happened? "Uncle Kenji, what was all that about?" Raph asked him, just as confused as his younger brothers, "And... was Saki crying??" “I do not know, Raphael. And as surreal as it may seem... I think he was.” Kenji pondered worriedly. "Well, is he okay?" Mikey asked, concerned as he hopped down from the third level of their home. In the few weeks he had known his uncle, he had NEVER seen Saki cry. "Should we go after him too?" A part of Kenji contemplated leaving his brothers to sort it out. But a bigger part of him suggested that whatever was going on he needed to be there for them both. “Yes, family must always be there for each other. In good times and the bad. Go get your aunts and uncle, we’re going after them together.” He just prayed that neither of his brothers would do anything foolish. Mikey firmly nodded, understanding completely. With a whoop, he leapt back up to the floor and went to find his human family. Leo did the same while Raph headed towards Donnie's lab, not wanting their purple brother to be left out.

"Hopefully everything's okay," Raph mumbled to himself. It had taken so much to finally meet his human family. Even if Saki was difficult to deal with, he didn't want a feud to break them all up again. Kenji turned to face his red nephew. Smiling kindly, he patted his spiky arm. “It’ll be all right, I promise.” Kenji vowed. ‘Although I wish I felt as confident as I sounded.’ Raph looked over his shoulder and gave him a small smile and nod. "Yeah... totally! I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding or, or something..." Kenji nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else at the moment. Nori, Mei, and the twins came out with Leo and Mikey following suit. "Kenji, the boys told us, we better hurry." Nori said, heading towards the exit.

"-wait, so WHO was cry-?" "Come on, Donnie!" Raph came out of the lab with Donnie practically draped over his shoulder. "Alright, got 'im. Let's go, Uncle Kenji."With a reassuring nod to his nephews and younger siblings, Kenji and the Hamato-Jitsu bunch ran out of the lair and into the night of the Big Apple. "...Sooo, do any of us know where we're going?" Leo spoke up as they ran, "Cause, like, they ran off a while ago, so..." Nori sighed and looked around the area of rooftops they stood on, "It will probably be for the best if we were to split up, it will increase our chances of finding them." "Right," Raph nodded, "Mike, you go with Uncle Kenji-" if Kenji found them first, it would maybe be good to have Dr. Feelings helping him out, "I'll go with Auntie Nori. Leo can take Auntie Hiroki and Uncle Hikari, and Donnie can take Auntie Mei. We'll each go one direction and keep each other updated. Sound good?" "Understood." They all chorused and headed off in separate directions.

As the family went their separate ways, still unsure of the situation they would find once they actually found Splinter and Saki, they each held on hope that as strange as this evening had become, it would still have a happy ending...

END OF PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was an RP I did with JustAndrea and I'm pleased with how it turned out! What do you all think? How will things turn out when the family finds Splinter and Saki? Will the two brothers patch up their dysfunctional relationship?

**Author's Note:**

> I'll happily accept POSITIVE criticism. Negative comments will be deleted. Again, I'm new to this, so go easy on me. Have a nice day and I hope you'll stay for the ride.


End file.
